Garage Sale Tips & Tricks

“To have a garage sale or not to have a garage sale” that is the question. Well, it’s not THE question but it is definitely one that will cross your mind when you start your spring cleaning and realize how much stuff you no longer use, wear, or need. To help you with this dilemma, I’ve compiled a list of garage sale tips and tricks that I hope will help you make this decision.

A week ago, I asked my Facebook fans to share a garage sale tips and they rose to the occasion. They shared tips for shoppers and sellers a like. Talk about tons a great ideas–so many goodies that I just had to share. (However, you can read each comment HERE if you’d like.)

Garage Sale Tips for Shoppers

Get their early so you can be sure to get the items you want, if it’s there…or

Go later in the morning when they are ready to get rid of stuff!

If you wait till the last minute, people are more willing to negotiate since they do not want to haul all their stuff back inside.

If you find more than one item you like, sellers are usually ready to negotiate and give you a deal the “group” of items.

Some towns have online garage sales. If yours does, sleep in, shop in leisure, and get great bargains!

If you see something that you think you might like or be able to use but aren’t 100% sure, just go ahead and buy it. You will regret it if you don’t because you probably will figure out a way to use it later and will never find it cheaper.

In my town we wait till mid season to start going to the yard sales. The first sales of the season are high priced, but by waiting we get good stuff much cheaper

Garage Sale Tips for Sellers

Garage Sale Tip….ummmmm….go to them but don’t have them unless you have a lot of patience. If you do, be sure to have the coffee pot ready the night before AND a friend bringing the donuts at 5:30 am to laugh with you through it.

This tip I think is so important. Why? Well, because I have had a couple of garage sales and they have not been as successful as I would have liked. This is because I haven’t had the patience to really plan my garage sale and my results suffered. Here are some great tips from followers that I have broken down to before, during & after your garage sale.

Before the Sale

Organize items and bundle similar items together.

orginization is the answer along with clean clean area, well lit, and everything clearly priced to sell

My garage sale tip is this, once it goes out to the pile it stays in the pile. During the sale sell clothes in bags for $x.xx. They move the clothes out. Special clothes keep separate and price it. Stuff sells quickly that’s marked $5 and under. Offering deals is a quick way to move stuff also.

If it’s not for sale label it or keep it away from the area. I had a rude lady once drop her pile of stuff in the middle of the yard because my sons bouncer wasn’t for sale.

Organize clothes by sizes

Take pictures and post on Facebook along with location and hours

Make bold & colorful signs. Put them out for several blocks leading to your home and at the main intersection.

Put your box of free items near the middle but clearly visible from the street

For having one my tip is I have for 2 days….Second day everythingis 1/2 off and one price for a clothes that fit in the bag. I did 5$ as I had a lot and it cleaned them out. For going Go Early

Advertise earlier in the week

Get a lot of your friends to sell their stuff alongside your stuff to create a huge garage sale

Only put out CLEAN items, or have a 25 cent bin of junk

Organization is the most important. Putting things that are similar together.

Make sure to have prices easy to find and easy to understand

They say your best day is on Thursday to have your sale.

Bring small bills and change with you.

Separate things out by sizes, and color.

We are on a corner and would put out a sign that we are selling coffee. In chilly weather it really worked!

Use the websitehttp://gsalr.comto list for free in your community. It’s awesome!

If its your garage sale make sure everything is CLEAN & organized by group so things are easier to find. Borrow or make racks ( 2 ladders & a pole ) for clothing & try to sort by size & mark size on the price tag. If you have smaller clothes that wontbe hung up use laundry baskets instead of deep boxes & always have one empty one there for sorting. Yes, try to keep by size but if you mark the size on the tape with the price it will be so much easier. Use masking tape to mark clothes – it does’t fall off in the sun & can be ripped off in big enough pieces to see & please use a marker in black.

If there is more than one family in the sale make sure every tag has a name on it so you can put it in the right column on the ledger.

If you have a ton of small little toys for kids make a 5 cent or 10 cent box you can put on the driveway. This keeps the kids busy so the parents can look around & who cares if the walk with it.

Buy cheap table cloths for a $1.00 at the dollar store & let them hang over the table to cover your boxes & packing stuff (tells people there is nothing to look at down there) save bags & newspapers & put in a box next to or behind your cash table so its easy to get at & you don’t have to looking for it when you need it.

If you have breakables make sure you have them in the middle of the table so they don’t get knocked off.

If you have alot of jewelery keep it on a table up front in your line of vision from your cash table & loose pieces should be taped or pierced thru card stock pieces 1/4 of sheet. Make use of any display type boxes or racks you can find behind stores that they are throwing out.

Make sure your ledger sheet for what you are taking in if your have Multi family & sheets for adding things up are separate. As you add them up put the family name after each amount & if you are busy you can come back to the sheet to record them on the ledger.

Always start with at least a $50. bank with a roll of quarters but if you have a big sale $100. is best with 50 singles, a roll of quarters & the rest in 5’s & 10’s.

Set up a scene. Like a living rm or dining rm. people will buy more like items!

Don’t price anything with the least money you’ll take for the item. Gives you bargaining room.

Have everything displayed nicely and be spacious

Use tables. People will stay and shop more if you use tables

Bright signs and dark markers! Make sure the letters are big!

Make sure you have help. A couple of friends that also look like they are shopping. Sad but people will walk off with your stuff if you are distracted helping someone else. Remember the people coming to your sale are not necessarily from your neighborhood.

When holding a garage sale, display everything on a table. Keep it elevated. Rarely are people willing to crawl around your lawn to look at your stuff

Take pictures and post to a local facebook garage/yard sale group so people have an idea of what you have!

Price everything by way of quarters, it makes doing change soooo much easier

Carry ones and change in one pocket and larger bills in others. Make sure you have them folded up with a one dollar bill on the outside.

I love putting a bunch of this and that in a box and then announcing it’s on sale for 25 each. people love a bargain!

Set up early and sales begin as soon as they spot you setting up.

During the Sale

Listen to the people, haggle with them gently, but make sure if the price you want for things is clearly marked but will take offers!!!!!

Don’t be firm on prices. Negotiate or you may lose out on selling the items. You want them sold don’t you?

Never refuse a reasonable offer.

Never give in to a lower price right away!

Always check money larger than a ten!! Garage sales are the best place to pass off fakes 20s

Have plenty of change and be willing to just let the stuff go!!!!

When you start to get too much money out there take it into the house. You dont want to keep more the $100 in the garage.

Have kids offer lemonade or hot chocolate depending on season

Facing! Like at the stores! When something sells or is dug through, straighten, rearrange or adjust, and make things look appealing and attractive!

Every hour please straighten up the tables as there is nothing worse than a mess of stuff to paw thru & you can consolidate at the same time or put out more stuff.

Sell bottles of cold water at your sale!

After the Garage Sale

My best tip is if it doesn’t sell it goes to Goodwill!

Once the sale is over load up the left overs and donate to a homeless shelter or donation center

Do not bring garage sale stuff back into the house! What doesn’t sell, put immediately in a vehicle and take it to a donation location.

Okay, with all these great tips, I think I’ll be having a garage sale this May. How about you?